Memories from Bomber Command Crew

During my research, I have met some wonderful and fascinating people. I have been very priviledged to hear some of their memories of bomber command. Below are just a couple of these memories. If anyone would like to add to my collection please feel free to e-mail me.

Dave

Dave was a tail gunner in Lancasters during the Second World War. He was in 'Moose' Squadron, which had a large number of Canadian airmen in it, (hence the name).

Dave completed is first tour of thirty missions in mid 1944. He was then posted to a base in Wales, to work as an instructor. Teaching recruits air gunnery.

One day, he was on a training flight with a group of recruits. The Australian pilot was very experienced and said to Dave over the aircraft's intercom, that the plane was in trouble and that he didn't think it would get back to base. He instructed Dave not to panic the recruits, but to get them ready to parachute out of the stricken aircraft. Dave duly advised his recruits to clip on their parachutes and prepare to jump.

At this point, one of the recruits said he was very sorry, but he'd forgotten his parachute. Dave sighed and reluctantly handed over his own parachute for the recruit to use. The pilot then turned the aircraft and did a run over a sandy beach. The recruits all jumped out.

Then the pilot working very hard, with Dave assisting, managed to nurse the aircraft back to base safely.

Dave was in the Sergeant's Mess later, having a well earned drink. One of the officers came in and told Dave he had some bad news for him. The recruit who had taken Dave's parachute had died. The parachute hadn't opened.

Dave told me that even though he had seen some terrible things during his operational tour, it took him a very long time to get over what had happened that day.

George

George was a mid upper gunner and in the same Squadron as my Great Uncle Sunny, flying one mission with him. George's first mission was to Turin in Italy, it was winter 1943-44. He was flying in a Stirling, which due to the number of engines it was equiped with, could not fly as high as a Lancaster could.

The aircraft was over the Alps, with a full bomb load. When the skipper told the crew that one of the engines was on fire. He advised his crew to prepare to bail out.

It was a bright moonlit night, and George said it was almost like daylight over the Alps. He could see the huge mountains and all the snow. Apparently it was beautiful.

George scrambled out of his turret and down into the darkness of the interior of the aircraft. For a moment he couldn't see where his parachute was stowed, as it was so dark. At that moment, the plane went into a dramatic nose dive. The skipper had decided to try and put the fire out by using the wind speed.

George frantically clipped on his parachute and found his way to the hatch to jump out. He opened the door and looked out at the Alps below, which were rapidly approaching. He thought about just how soft a landing it would be for him on the snow. As he moved to jump, the navigator grabbed the back of his collar. The fire in the engine had been put out and they were going to turn around and head for home.

They were in a deep Alpine valley. The engine which had been damaged would not run properly and they could not gain height. They dropped all their bombs in the deserted valley and managed to gain a little height. Following first the valleys of the Alps, they limped back over France to England.

George told me that he thought to himself, 'This is my first mission, if the rest of them are like this, it's going to be hell.'

Des

Desmond Evans contacted me in January 2003. Des was part of the ground crew which looked after Lancasters on 97 Squadron, RAF Coningsby. Following is part of the e-mail he sent me:

"There was a very close relationship between AirCrews and the Ground Crews who serviced their Aircraft.

During my time with 97 Squadron I lost three Aircrews, and each time it was devastating. The loneliness of waiting for your particular Lanc to return was awful, and when yours didn't return on time, there was that awful half an hour to an hour wait until you knew their fuel reserves would have run out and there was no chance they were coming back.

Later of course someone would come to your dispersal where the Aircraft would be normally parked and tell you "Sorry Lads-they've had it."

Our Dispersal Point would be empty for a few days, and we would probably help out on another aircraft until our replacement Lancaster would arrive. We would then check the engines and probably later in the day a new Aircrew would arrive. In most cases very young and very raw with no operational experience. We would get introduced to the Pilot and Crew and the whole sequence would start over again. You would look at them, mostly no older than 22 years of age and wonder how long they would be with us..

Your site and records of your Great Uncle and his comrades is very touching and it is a wonderful site. My generation are so pleased to see you younger people taking such a interest in WW2 and especially the RAF Bomber Command activities.

A Operational unit was unique in the closenes between ranks. My particular Skipper was Wing Commander Porter and he and his crew.were all Officers and yet this lovely man and his Crew would take my pal and I, just ordinary LACs, out with them for drinks to the local pubs as though we were their buddies.

Porter was the Leader of the first BERLIN Raids and was decorated with the DFC and Bar. We all went on leave at the beginning of August 1944. The Wing Commander came back two days early from his leave. One pilot due to fly on Ops was taken ill, so Porter said he would fly in his place.-- The raid was Mine Laying over STETTIN BAY. They took off at 9-40pm and at 01-33am a radio message came in--We are hit--burning burning--abandoning --" that was all they had time to transmit. All were killed. One is buried on the Island of BORNHOLM (Danish), four including W/Cmdr.Porter are buried at POZNAN Polish War Cemetery--three were never found.

It is hard to describe how you feel the loss of a whole Crew. One minute you are chatting and having a smoke before they take off---and 4 or 5 hours later, they have gone--just a memory.

Your Great Uncle was a brave man and so were all his Crew. Anyone who says they were full of fun before they went on a raid and that they hadn't a care in the world, are fools .These young men knew exactly what lay before them, they were tensed up and nervous--and that's what makes them brave--they still went and did what they had to."